New Filter Recomendations

[andmand2]

I’m looking for some recommendations for a filter system for 38g freshwater fish tank. Currently it is holding 3 gouramis and 3 bala sharks (the balas are getting big and I will have to get rid of these soon). My filer is the generic one I bought with the tank the rests on top and water flows through. Since my tank is located in my basement water changes are often a challenge on 7-10. I would like to reduce the number of water changes I have to make and improve the water quality for my fish. I have been looking into the “canister” filters but I would admit it is a bit overwhelming with all the different choices and variance and prices. FYI I only have a little over a year of aquarium experience. Appreciate your help in advance.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to our forum andmand.
Unfortunately you have fallen into a common trap affecting many new fish keepers. They end up believing that somehow bigger filters mean less water changes. Sorry but that is simply not true. Think about it for a moment. You add fish food and some is eaten while some ends up rotting. The fish wastes and the rotting food both produce ammonia, even if the waste food is located in a filter. Since the same amount is produced, the same amount of nitrates are basically produced, that is 3.6 ppm of nitrate for every 1 ppm of ammonia waste. The only easy ways to clear nitrates from your tank water is to do water changes or to grow plants that use nitrates as fertilizer and then remove some of the plants. Once a planting goes much beyond this stage it will no longer be growing quite as fast due to light being restricted by the shadows one plant casts on another so even that removal will slow down. You can speed plant growth back up by removing some plants to let light back into the lower part of the tank.

I would be happy to answer questions about filter performance but water changes rely completely on the amount of ammonia being produced in the tank and the need to remove it.

 

[andmand2]

Love the picture! I do have a couple bamboo like plants but my main focus is keeping my fish healthy and active. I certainly appreciate the advice and glad I asked because filters can be quite pricey. Currently I'm using the Aqueon power filter 30 which came standard with my 38g tank. I have an air stone as well for circulation and oxygen purposes.

 

[OldMan47]

If you have the filter recommended for your tank, a larger one is simply a new expense, not a real improvement. A larger filter is unlikely to help much. Once your filter is fully cycled, it will give about all of the ammonia processing capacity as you could reasonably expect.

 

[kcartwright856]

I'm a huge fan of AquaClear filters. Great HOB filters. They are absolute workhorses and can be packed full of whatever media you wish.

If you buy online, you can get an excellent price.